Warburton to make early return

British and Irish Lions captain Sam Warburton is set to make his comeback from injury for Cardiff Blues on Friday night.

The flanker has not played since June 29 when he suffered a torn hamstring in the latter stages of the Lions' 16-15 second Test defeat in Australia.

He had to watch on as the Lions went on to win their first series since 1997, with initial reports suggesting he would be out of action for three to four months.

But Blues director of rugby Phil Davies has confirmed the 24-year-old will feature against Leinster in the RaboDirect PRO12 on Friday, increasing his chances of representing Wales in the autumn internationals.

"He was knocking the door down to play, which is fantastic," Davies told cardiffblues.com.

"Sam wants to play and he has done a phenomenal job, along with the physios and medical department, to get back so soon.

"He is five weeks ahead of schedule and that is down to his diligence and also the work of the team here."